Grand Rapids Griffins to face Oklahoma City team affected by deadly tornado

An aerial view of some of the destruction in Moore, Okla., just outside Oklahoma City, following Monday's tornado.AP Photo

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The Grand Rapids Griffins open the Western Conference finals Friday against Oklahoma City and a hockey team affected by the deadly tornado that carved through the outlying city and nearby suburb of Moore on Monday.

The Barons, who play in Grand Rapids on Friday and Saturday, leave an area rocked by the deaths of at least 24 people - including nine children - from one of the deadliest tornadoes recorded at 1.3 miles wide with wind speeds near 210 mph.

About 2,400 homes were damaged in Moore and Oklahoma City.

On Monday morning, the Barons practiced at Blazers Ice Center in Moore, which was spared although the facility remained closed Tuesday, according to its Facebook site.

“All of our guys are safe and accounted for,” said general manager Bill Scott of the Edmonton Oilers, the Barons’ NHL affiliate. He told Terry Jones of edmontonsun.com.: “We’re good. Our guys live on the north side of the city or in the downtown area.”

The Cox Convention Center, where the Barons play, was unaffected. The Griffins will play in Oklahoma City for games three (May 29), four (May 31) and five (June 1).

"It was a real somber day for everyone," Barons captain Josh Green, who lives in the suburb of Edmond, 30 minutes north of Moore, told Ryan Dittrick of Edmontonoilers.com. "We practiced at 10:15 and came home right after. We had storms the previous day and knew more were on the way, so we huddled up in front of the TV and watched it all unfold.

"It started out pretty small and you could see the hook on it. The TV coverage was incredible. They can pinpoint everything to where it's going to hit and how big it's going to be, but I don't think anyone expected it to get so big, so fast. Watching all on TV and seeing all the damage it was causing as it was happening, it was devastating."

“We feel like we’re a part of the community down here,” Oklahoma City defenseman Taylor Fedun said on the Barons website Tuesday. “Even though we weren’t directly hit by it, we’re going to try and help out in any way we can.”